Beginner Wirework Class – Crazy Copper Cuff – 7 Jul 2009

07 Jul 2009 Tuesday 6:00pm-9:00pm
11 Aug 2009 Tuesday 6:00pm-9:00pm

Where: Masterpiece Art Supply
Teacher:Judy Menting

Class Size: 3-8 students
Level:Beginner (Age 16+)

Class Description

Make a freeform cuff with copper wire and beads. This is good for beaders who are intimidated by wire. You can’t make design mistakes because you make it up as you go along!! This is a simple wire rectangle of thicker wire, secured with thinner wire and wrapped with beads in a freeform manner. Once you get the beads secured to the thicker wire, you shape it into a cuff, and make a simple hook clasp to keep it closed. You will learn how wire responds to your attempts to wrap it and manipulate it. Don’t be afraid of it –it is lumpy, bumpy and handcrafted, just like people.

Kit Includes:

16 gauge &24 gauge copper wire and assorted porcelain and glass beads to decorate it with, and illustrated instructions.

Materials to Bring:

• Flush cutter
• Chain nose pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Be sure that your pliers are smooth inside; if they have ridges, you will put marks on your wire!

Class J006—Crazy Copper Cuff—$55

Go To:  beadtrotters.com/index.html#J006 to signup

Visit the Beadtrotters for Jewelry Classes and Kits.

In 2008, I joined up with a group of friends to teach beading classes here in Southeastern Wisconsin. If you are interested in learning how to bead, or want to buy beading kits with excellent instructions, go to www.beadtrotters.com for more information.

My Next Class:  26 May 2009

Class J003 - One Week of Earrings - 26 May 2009

My Next Class:  9 Jun 2009

Class J001 - Russian Leaf Prayer Angel - 9 Jun 2009

• Jewelry Classes and Kits:  www.beadtrotters.com
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Beadweaving Basics – Half-Hitch Knot

The half-hitch knot is useful when you need to add a new piece of thread.  I use it when I am adding another component, like fringe or the clasp.

Beadweaving Basics: Half-Hitch Knot

Sew through a bead.
Make a loop over the thread going front to back.

Put the needle through the  loop you just made.

Make sure you go under the old thread and over the  new thread, and pull snug.

I usually do this several times, depending on how much stress is going to be on the thread.

Beadweaving Basics – How to Add Thread Using the Weaver’s Knot

Beadweaving Basics - Adding thread using the weaver

The beauty of this knot is that it allows you to maintain the same tension in your work as you bead, and you don’t have to try to fit a knot through beads with lots of thread in them.

STEP 1: Make the loop.
Lay the old thread on the table. Put the tail end of the new thread under the old thread.

Following the diagram:
Cross the long end of the new thread over the old thread (R to L). Put the long part of the new thread under the short tail (bottom to top).  Cross the long part of the new thread over the old thread (L to R).

STEP 2:  Make the second loop
Very gently, put the tail of the old thread over the long part of the new thread at (A), then over the new thread at (B), then into the loop and under the new thread at (C).

STEP 3: Pull it snug
Pull down on the tail of the old thread, which starts to close the loop and brings the knot closer to the beads. Then hold both ends of the old thread  together with one hand, and both ends of the new thread with the other hand. Pull the ends away from each other to tighten the knot.

This knot, when tied correctly, will not slip.  If it does slip, you did something wrong. Do it again, slower and bigger.  It can be frustrating at first, but once you get it, you will LOVE this knot.  Don’t cut the tails, just let them work into the fabric of the beads and weave them later.

tags: how-to beadweaving weaver’s knot adding thread

Beadweaving Basics – Bead Needles and Seed Beads

How Do I Remember Which is Bigger or Smaller?

Bead needles and seed beads come in different sizes.  The bigger the number, the smaller the needle or seed bead.  I think of it like this:  when they make the needles or the seed beads, they start with a chunk of metal or glass and stretch it out to make a long string.  The more they stretch it, the thinner it gets.  So if they pull the two ends only one foot apart, the string will be thick, and if they pull it thirty feet apart, the string will be thin.  Then, they cut the “string” into little sections for you to use. The bigger the number, the thinner it is.

How Do I Interpret the Numbers?

Seed beads and bead needles are labeled like this:  12/0 or 12°.  Both of these labels mean the same thing: this is a Size 12. Size 0 was the original size of seed beads. As the technology of beadmaking got better, the beads got smaller.  Theoretically, a Size 1 (or 1/0 or 1°) is 10 times smaller than a Size 0, and a Size 12 is 1,000,000,000,000 times smaller than a Size 0.  But 1,000,000,000 (1 with 12 Zeros) is confusing, so they developed a shorthand system, 12/0 or 12°.

Wire manufacturers have a standardized system of wire measurement using something called a drawplate. It is a piece of metal with different sized holes in it, but it works in the same way.  The smaller the hole, the bigger the number.  If you start with two chunks of metal the same size, the one you stretch farther will be thinner. It will have a bigger number.  Also remember that thinner needles (Size 13) will be more flexible than thicker ones (Size 10).

Are All Seed Bead Sizes the Same?  NO!**

Each seed bead company has their own sizing system, so a Size 12 from Company A will be close, but NOT EXACTLY the same size as a bead from Company B.  If your pattern calls for a specific size bead, get all the beads from the same manufacturer to get the most consistent result.

Are All Bead Needle Sizes the Same?  Almost!

Wire manufacturing companies have more standardized system than bead makers.  However, each company may decide to label it by Size or Gauge or Inches or mm.  Once you pick a favorite manufacturer, you will get used to their system.

Are Bead Needles the Same as Sewing Needles? NO!**

Sewing needles have an eye that is larger than the needle. Bead needles have a smaller eye, that sits inside the needle so you don’t get the needle stuck in the beads.
Does the Shape of the Bead Make a Difference?  YES!

There are a few generalizations that will help you decide what kind of beads to use in your work.

• Czech seed beads are like the homemade donuts my grandma made.  Some are thicker and some are thinner.  They are round with round hole, but they have a personality because they are slightly irregular.  I love them for exactly this reason – they give my pieces a lot of texture and they are not perfect, just like me.
• Charlottes are seed beads with facet (smooth cut) on one side.  This gives them a distinctive flash when the light hits them.  They are generally found in the smaller sizes, Sizes 12, 13 and 15.
• Japanese seed beads are like machine-made donuts that I can buy at my favorite donut place.  They are round with a round hole, but more regular than Czech seed beads.  The hole is usually a little bigger, and the colors are more consistent.
• Japanese cylinder beads are little tubes with thin walls.  The hole is bigger, which means it is easier to go through them several times.  There are several companies, and several variations of these cylinder beads.  Some have very tight manufacturing tolerances, so that each bead looks the same as it’s friends. This is great when you want your project to have a very consistent look.  Be sure that you purchase more than enough beads the first time, from the same manufacturer and the same batch.

How Do I Pick the Right Size Needle?

You might think that you just pick a bead size, and then pick a needle that matches.  No, that would be way too easy.  Bead needles need to be smaller than the beads for two reasons: they have to fit through the bead holes at least once, and bead needles have thread attached.  In my experience, I have found:

• Size 10 needles fit Size 0 to Size 12 seed beads.
• Size 12 needles fit Size 0 to Size 13 seed beads.  The thickness of your thread will make a difference how many times you can go back and forth through the same bead.
• Size 13 needles fit Size 13 to Size 15 seed beads.  Here again, the thickness of your needle/thread will decide how many times you can go back and forth through the same bead. A Size 12 needle will NOT fit into a Size 15 seed bead, not even once.

My Favorite Thread

I recently wrote an article at jewelrylessons.com about my favorite thread.  You can find it at:
http://www.jewelrylessons.com/jewel/node/613.

What Brands Do I Like?

• Czech Seed Beads: Ornela Seed Beads are beautiful. They have great colors and sizes.
• Japanese Seed Beads: Miyuki makes great seed beads in lots of shapes and colors and finishes.  They make round beads, triangles, bugle beads, and Delicas (the cylinder beads).  Toho makes cylinder beads too, and Aikos, which are the most precisely cut type of cylinder beads.
• Bead needles: The brand I like is James John.  It is an English company, but I can get them at my local bead store.

I hope this helps you get started.  If you have any tips, I would love to hear them.

**Tags: how-to  beadweaving basics  bead needles  beading tools    seed beads
**

Website in progress

I am building my own website for my jewelry, and am in the final phase – getting the stationary to go with it.

So here are some example business cards.

Business Card Test #1 for the website I am developing

Business Card Test #2 for website I am developing

BC Test 4

Website Designs

I am building my own website, so that you can purchase jewelry and watercolor cards, and get the latest morning prayers.  I am now working on business cards, so I can promote my site better.

Business Card Test #1 for the website I am developing

Business Card Test #2 for website I am developing

What do you think?  Do you prefer one over the other? Why?

Background Image

Colors I Love

Colors I Love:
Dk Blue #000099
Blue #4444FF

technorati tags:Colors-I-Love

Just Checking In

 

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in a while.

His shirt was kind of shabby and his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister’s suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him, “What are you doing here?”

The old man said he worked down the road, lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time, for finding strength and power.

“I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:

“I just came again to tell you, Lord,
how happy I have been,
since we found each other’s friendship
and you took away my sin.

Don’t know much of how to pray,
but I think about you every day.
So, Jesus, this is Jim, checking in today.”

The minister feeling foolish, told Jim, that all was fine.
He told the man he was welcome to come and pray just anytime.

Time to go, Jim smiled, said”Thanks.” He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar, he’d never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim’s prayer:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU,
LORD, HOW HAPPY I’VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS
FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY
MY SIN.

I DON’T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME

CHECKING IN TODAY.”

Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn’t come.
As more days passed without Jim, he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him, learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried, but he’d given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them, brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious. Changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn’t understand why Jim was so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cardsc ame, not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed, He voiced the nurse’s concern:
No friends came to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up, and with a winsome smile;
“The nurse is wrong, she couldn’tknow, that in here all the while

Everyday at noon He’s here, a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.

ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,

I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,

AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS

CHECKING IN TODAY.”

 

May God hold you in the palm of His
hand and Angels watch over you.

But for those of us who are already His,

He not only holds us in the palm of His hand,

but has engraved our names there,

and we are continually in His sight (Isaiah 49:16)

So this is me … Just Checking In

technorati tags:Prayer, Faith

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Beadwork Collages

 

   

 

technorati tags:Morningprayers, Beaded-Business-Card-Holder, BeadedAngels, BeadedHeadband, BeadedJewelry, BeadedThreadHolder, Jewelry, PeyoteStitch, Wirewrapping, Bracelets, Earrings, EyeglassesHolder, Angels, Fashion, Necklace, Stringing, Workshop, JewelryWorkshop

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Worship – my husband at prayer

Worship: This piece, which is
about 2″ by 3″, started out as part of a larger page on which I was
just playing with my new set of water colors. Looking at it, I
recognized a small figure in the corner of the page. It was my husband
worshipping in church, singing to the music, his hands raised in joy.

technorati tags:Faith, Worship, Prayer, Morningprayers

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Beaded Sandals

Beaded sandals – I ripped off the sequins and started redecorating

technorati tags:BeadedShoes, Beads, Beadwork, Fashion

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Watercolor birds flying over flowers

Watercolor birds flying over flowers,
originally uploaded by Morningprayers.

watercolor birds flying over flowers

Our Life Circle

LifeCircle2,
originally uploaded by Morningprayers.

Our love is like this circle – we started from the middle and walked outward – we ran into bumps and walked away from each other – for 12 long years we walked – not knowing that, with God’s guidance, we were really walking back to each other  – back to each other – now we walk towards Him and our hearts are joined in joy

How To: Make Wrapped Loops

I think that learning to make wrapped loops is easier than plain loops. We will make some practice loops first, without attaching anything or worrying about getting them perfect. 22 gauge copper wire handles almost like 22 gauge sterling silver wire. Go ahead, use your wire! Cut a piece 8” long.

Think of making a lollipop with a scarf: first you make the head of the lollipop, then you add the scarf.

There are four parts to making a wrapped loop:

1. Make the Wire Tail
2. Make the Loop (head)
3. Make the Wrap (put the scarf on the neck of the lollipop)
4. Cut and Finish

_______________________________________________

1. Making The Wire Tail: The wire tail is the part of the wire that you will use to make the wrapped loop. You will need one to two inches of tail.  Grab the wire about 1 inch from the end with your CHAIN NOSE PLIERS (the ones that are flat inside so that you don’t put dents in your wire).

Personally, I make the tail 2 fingers wide. There are several advantages:

-it’s a consistent, and easy measurement,
-there is enough wire to make the wrap,
-and enough tail wire to hold on to.

Once you get good at this, you can use a shorter tail. But, in the beginning, I wasted a lot of wire because I didn’t have enough tail to work with. I had to cut off the whole loop and start over.

Bend the tail down with your fingers – don’t move the pliers. Make a 90 degree corner by pressing the tail flat against the pliers.

_______________________________________________

2. Making The Loop

Next, you will make the round part of the loop. A good loop size is 3/8” inside diameter. On my ROUND-NOSE PLIERS, this is about 1/3 of the distance from the end of the pliers. You can make a black mark on your pliers so the loops are consistent.

With your ROUND-NOSE pliers, grab the tail of the wire at the bend. With your fingers, flip the tail up and over the top.

Then wrap it towards you, over the pliers, until the tail lies next to the long wire.

Don’t keep wrapping so that the tail goes UNDER the pliers again, or you will end up with a lollipop with a double chin.

Next, loosen your grip on the pliers and rotate the bottom jaw of the round-nose pliers out of the way, and re-grip the wire.

With your fingers, push or pull the tail down behind the long wire, until it is flat against your round-nose tips. Your wire should cross itself at a 90º angle.

Linking Tip: If you are linking things together, now is the time to slide it into the loop.

______________________________________________

3. Making the Wrap

Loosen your grip on the pliers, and reposition the pliers with the outside jaw at the top of the loop. Put the pliers back into the loop nice and snug, so the loop stays round as you make the wraps.

Push and pull the tail around the long wire with your fingers to make the wrap.

You only need 1 wrap to keep it secure.
I do two to three wraps because I like the way it looks.

• Keep the wraps close to the loop.
• Think of putting a scarf on a lollipop.
• Wrap the scarf from the chin down towards the shoulders.

Linking Tip: If you have things linked to your loop, it might be easier to hold the loop with your flat nose or chain nose pliers. Only hold the loop, not the tail or the long wire.

Cut the wire with the flat side of your cutters next to the finished side of your work. Tuck in the tail by gently tapping it with your chain nose pliers, or the rounding loop of your crimping pliers. Ta Dah!

Cut off your loop. Make 7more loops. Really, it gets easier the more you do it. Don’t be afraidt o use your practice wire freely. This is a skill you will use a lot!

Congrats, you did it! Judy

technorati tags:HowTo, JewelryTutorials, WrappedLoop, Wirewrapping, Beadwork, JewelryLessons

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MPJ Spiral

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Collage

Morning Prayer – May our love warm you…

Husband to wife:

May our love warm you.

May God warm our love.

May that love radiate to others.

Check it out – Color Cell

If you love playing with color – you gotta check out this site:

Color Cell

You create a cell, and vote on your favorite cell of the day. See how your cell fares compared to others.